Safety system for railways.



J. W. SHARP.

SAFETY SYSTEM FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.15, 1908.

. Patented June 29, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. W. SHARP.

SAFETY SYSTEM FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1908.

Patented June 29, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 z z. W

a SHEETS-SHEB-1 Patented June 29, 1909.

J. W. SHARP.

SAFETY SYSTEM} FOR RAILWAYS. APPLICATION FILED APR-15. 190a.

V/V v l/ i UNITE STATES PATENT fil jt ii his JOHN W. SHARP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SAFETY SYSTEM FOR RAILWAYS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Jon): W. SHARP, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improve -ments in Safety Systems for Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. lull, clear, and exaetdeseription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Y

This. invention has for its object to provide very simple and efficient means whereby a railroad train either passenger or freight besides being in control of the engineer, is placed in control of the remainder of the train crew and also of switchmen-and depot hands, and consists in the features of construction and combinations of pa-rts herein- ,after fully described. and. claimed.

In the accompanying. drawings illustrating my invention: Figure -1- is a view in side elevation of aloc-omotive and tender equipped with safety devices constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig.-2is a fragmentary plan view of the track, and showing diagrammaticallythe train pipe of the locomotive and tender in its relation to movable stops disposed on the track. Fig. 3is a diagrammatic view'of a caboose equipped with train controlling means in accordance with in invention. Figs. and 5 are respeotively a fragmentary plan'view and side elevation showing a trip disposed inthe track and means for operating the same. Fig. 6 isa central verticallongitudinal section on the line'6' 6 ot'Fig. '7 of an exhaust valve disposed in operative connection withthe train pipe of thelocomotive and tender. Pg. 7 isaside elevation of saidvalve, Fig. 8is a central longitudinal section of-the air brake controlling valve disposed inthe caboose.

It is well known that many wrecks, partic'ularly of freight trains, are caused by the carelessness of the train crew inmaking u p the train and usually consisting in omitting to. connect all of the cars in the air-brake system.

That is to say that generally not more than- 75 per cent. of the cars are so connected as to make the air brakes thereof operative, and sometimes this percentage is very materiallv decreased. .Except'by caret ul inspection the yard-master or the conductor cannot ascertain just how many cars are under air and Specification 0i Letters Patent. Application filed April 15, 1908. Serial No. 427,116.

Patented June 29, it: t.

t-liro'ughout,'the shutting off of astop-coel; in

that-rain pipe at any point will place all cars- 'rearwardl of said cock entirely out of direct control.

Along and heavy freigl'it tram can be properlv and safely handled only when all Cars in the train are under air and the primary ob ect of my invention is to provide means whereb any member of the crew. ma v easily 115(81lfl111 whether this is the case and also the pressure carried in the air brake system besides enabling such member to set the brakes-lrom the rear end of the train so that in t-heevent that the engineer shall fail .bItihQS and stop the train.

Passenger trains are at present equipped with means whereby the brakes may be set from any car in the train, such means being operable by a rope running through the'trnin, but said means, while fnirl ellicient, are not entirely reliable for the reason that said rope may break, and again the crew member attempting to stop the train may not release thehold on said-rope until the train shall have stopped for fearthat the engineer and firemen may not heed .the signal thus eo1iveyed while on the other hand said crew member can perform no other servire such us in an emergency may be required of him owing to the urgent necessity of holding on to said rope until the train has been stopped. My invention contemplates the provision of means whereby the crew member may set an exhaust valve by a simple operation and thus'be free, while the train is stopping, to perform other service, such means being equally applicable to both passenger and freight trains but intended more particularly for the latter for the reasons above set forth.

My; invention also has for its object to provide simple and eiiiciei t means on the train and on the railway and COHU'Olhzlilu by a switch tender or depot hand to bring 1:. train to a stop in the event that a stopsigmd should be disregarded by all members of the train crew, the lust named object being, however, of least importance.

The invention consists more particularly in the specilic means provided for )roper control of the train, said means incuding valves of articular forms of construction whereby e ciency is assured. i

It is well known that .cabooses at the tail.

' ends of freight trains are not equipped with air brakes, and therefore, are devoidof train ipes. For the purpose or carrying out my inventionl equip the caboose A with a train pipe B having stop-cocks Q interposed in the ends thereof and equipped at its ends with the" usual flexible hose D and couplings. to

enable said pipe to be'brought into the airbrake system. Between its ends said pipe;

B is connected with a pipe E passing into the cupola of the caboose and which there communicates with an exhaust valve F of a particular form of construction, illustrated in Fig. -8-, said valve being connected at its discharge endwith a pipe G dischargingunderneath the car. The said valve F comprising the casing provided midway between its ends with a tapered opening in which the tapered plug: or valve H fits and whether the entire train is under air and whether all stop cocks are s1: hciently open to insure efiiciency. Furthermore by opening said valve F he can apply the air brakes andin case of emergency may set said valve 0 'en and jump from the train or' run. along t e tops of the cars to the engine in order to inform or instruct the engineer or signal the latter. The train being thus under control from both ends there is slight possibility of accident due to any neglect of the crew but in order to place a further check on the crew I prefer to also provide means whereby the train may be stopped by a switch tower operator or station hand, said means comprising exhaust valves M connected with the train pipe of the locomotive and tender and adapted to be opened by obstructions in the track operable from a switch or signal tower-or station, said obstructions consisting of sul'istantially V-shaped pro ections N rigidly mounted on horizontal rock shafts 0 extending transversely of the rails and provided at one end with a cross bar l to which the ends of wires or cables Q are secured, the latter being suitably connected with operating means disposed in the tower or other building It and by means of which said shaft maybe turned through an arc of ninety degrees to throw said pro ection N is secured in'a manner common to valves of this class. The inlet passage 1 extends ver-;, tically through the casing-and communicates either into vertical or horizontal position. Springs S are interposed in said cables Q in order to render said obstructi0ns yielding the strength of'said springs being-such as to resist the force of the blow of th stem T of a valve M in the path .of which it is dis posed but enabling said obstruction to yield to greater force applied as, for example, from a broken brake beam or the like. The said valves M are also of the tapered valve pattern and the valve stems T thereof depend vertically to maintain said valves normally closed.

Secured at one end to the casing of each valve is a flat spring U the free end portion of which is substantially semi-circular and disposed substantially concentric with the axis of the valve, saidsemi-circu ar portion being bulged outwardly between its ends. The extreme free end of said spring U bears u on the said valve stem or lever T and w en the latter is turned by contact with one of said obstructions to open the valve, the free end oi said spring springs over the said lever which thus becomes engaged by said bulged semi-circular portion of said spring and is prevented by the latter from returning to its closed position by reason of the jarring and vibration of the locomotive. Said obstructions may be placed at any desired intervals in the track and disposed ad jacent relatively opposite rails so thatboth the oppositely disposed valves M are operated thus guarding against the possibility that one of said valves may fail to perform its proper function. This, however, is

deemed unnecessary, obstructions adjacent one rail being suflicient, but it is essential that the two oppositely disposed valves be employed so that one of same shall be oper* ated whether the locomotive is traveling forward or rearward.

'To insure proper operation of the alves 1 provide an opening V inthe casing for the, introduction of oil, said opening being normally closed by a plug W. 'The'use of said obstructions is essential to insure greater safety of passenger traffic, the train crews of passenger trains being unable, unlike the crews of freight trains. to look ahead from the cupola of a caboose to keep a check on the engineer and, hence, this duty must rest with switch tenders and depot hands. It is also essential that said valves shall be so disposed as to be entirely out of reach of the engineer or fireman while the train isrune ning so that said valves cannot be locked ortampered with by the latter, itbeing well known that many engineers are very reckless and heedless of danger.

By the means above described. railroad travel may be rendered almost entirely safe.

4 In developing said means l-have kept-in mind very particularly "the avo dance'of ex pensive and complicated equipment andbelieve that'the cost of eq b inlaccoub ance with my invention would not be bur} densor'ne;

'Iclaim as my invention: '1. Ina railway train, a rear end as a caboose e uipped with a train pipe and havingvair bra e connection with the locomotive, a pipe connected with said train pipe between the ends of the latter, an exaust valve interposed in-said pi e and disposed within the cupola of said ca oose, said valve comprising the valve casing equipped between its ends with the valve and having inlet and outlet passages .on opposite sides of posed in the track and operable'from a switch tower or the like, springs operatively disposed in the means operating the said obstructions to yieldingly support the latter,

exhaust valves disposed on the train in the airbrake system thereof, operating levers on said exhaust valves adapted to be actuated by said obstructions to open said valves and set the brakes, and springs operatively car suelr enga'gin' said operating levers to prevent return t ereof to normal position to close sald valves.

3. In arailway movable obstructions disposed in the trackxand operable from a switch tower or the like, springs operatively disposed in the means operating the said obstr'uetions to yieldingly support the latter,

exhaust-valves disposed on the train in the air-brakesystem thereof, operating levers on sand exhaust valves adapted to be actuated by said obstructions to open said valves and I set'the brakes, and springs operatively, en

gaging said operating levers to prevent return thereof to normal position to'close said valves; an exhaust 'valvewithin a car of the train similarly interposed within the air brake system and operable by a member of the'erew other than the locomotive crew to set the brakes, said respective exhaust valves serving to maintain a' double check on the locomotive crew.

In testimony whereofl haveslgned my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN W. SHARP. Witnesses: RUDOLPH WM. Lo'rz,

E. -L. MOORE. 

